Utility of a sensor platform capable of aerial and terrestrial locomotion (original) (raw)
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2008
It is the purpose of this thesis to further advance research conducted in the development of an autonomous ground control for a Micro-Morphing Air-Land Vehicle. (MMALV). The intent of this system is to provide a small, low cost reconnaissance asset in the form of an unmanned aerial vehicle that is capable of flying, landing, and crawling to its target location. The biologically inspired MMALV has already been successfully integrated with the Kestrel Autopilot proving it capable of semi and full autonomous flight. This thesis will focus on the advanced development of the ground locomotion system by integrating a Gumstix microprocessor with the Kestrel Autopilot system. Research in this thesis has: 1) drawn upon biological inspiration to enhance MMALV’s robustness, 2) extended development of the ground locomotion system to allow MMALV to navigate on the ground both semi and full autonomously, and 3) extended the capabilities of the MMALV by introducing on-board processing. Operational...
Opportunities and challenges with autonomous micro aerial vehicles
We survey the recent work on micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a fast-growing field in robotics, outlining the opportunities for research and applications, along with the scientific and technological challenges. Micro-UAVs can operate in three-dimensional environments, explore and map multi-story buildings, manipulate and transport objects, and even perform such tasks as assembly. While fixed-base industrial robots were the main focus in the first two decades of robotics, and mobile robots enabled most of the significant advances during the next two decades, it is likely that UAVs, and particularly micro-UAVs, will provide a major impetus for the next phase of education, research, and development.
This paper presents a team of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) which are controlled and monitored by a Base Station (BS). The MAVs are of coaxial design which imparts mechanical stability both outdoor and indoor while obeying a 30cm size constraint. They have carbon fiber frames for weight reduction allowing sensors and microcontrollers to be mounted on‐board for low level control. Localization and obstacle avoidance are achieved using an on‐board GPS receiver, digital compass and colour camera. The UGVs are similarly equipped but also carry directional microphones to assist in detection of guards and hostages when visual information is inadequate. The BS monitors the vehicles and their environment and navigates them autonomously or with humans in the loop through the developed GUI. The initial goal of the project is the demonstration and assessment of the developed systems at MAV08. Following the demonstration, the systems will be used to demonstrate...
International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles, 2009
This paper presents Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) and their cooperative systems including Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and a Base Station (BS), which were primarily designed for the 1st US-Asian Demonstration and Assessment on Micro-Aerial and Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology (MAV08). The MAVs are of coaxial design, which imparts mechanical stability both outdoor and indoor while obeying a 30 cm size constraint. They have carbon fibre frames for weight reduction allowing microcontrollers and various sensors to be mounted on-board for tele-operated and waypoint control. The UGVs are similarly equipped to perform their own search and tracking mission but also to support the MAVs by relaying data between the MAVs and the BS when they are out of direct range. The BS monitors the vehicles and their environment and navigates them autonomously or with humans in the loop through the developed GUI. The ability of the MAV in flight was demonstrated by showing continuous hovering. The effi...